LG details upcoming Blu-ray / Netflix player

LG has revealed more details regarding the launch of its Netflix-enabled LG BD300 Blu-ray disc player that was announced earlier this year. The device will be available from retailers in October for $400, which falls in line with the original company claim of “under $500” and also matches the price of a PlayStation 3 console.

The BD300 offers all of the features you’d expect on a new Blu-ray player, including Profile 2.0 for BD Live functionality, Dolby TrueHD and Digital Plus audio formats support. In addition, it will play 12,000 Netflix movies and TV episodes provided that you are a subscriber – albeit streaming is done in “near DVD-quality,” depending on the speed of your Internet connection.

The appeal of this particular device is of course in getting Blu-ray and Netflix movies in the same place, but at that price I’d rather buy a PS3 to get Blu-ray and gaming from a single device. I guess it’s a matter of preference. Keep in mind, though, that at least one company is already working to bring Netflix support (and a handful of online video services) to Sony’s console.